WE ARE Family

THE OBJECTS OF WE ARE FAMILY, AS A PARENT-LED, PEER-TO-PEER ADOPTION SUPPORT COMMUNITY, ARE, FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT, TO PROMOTE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF PROSPECTIVE ADOPTERS AND ADOPTIVE PARENTS AND THE PARTNERS OF ADOPTIVE PARENTS WHO WERE NOT PARTY TO THE ORIGINAL ADOPTION ORDER (THESE THREE GROUPS BEING REFERRED TO TOGETHER AS ‘ADOPTIVE PARENTS’ IN THESE OBJECTS) THROUGHOUT THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND IN PARTICULAR THE RELIEF OF THE PREDICTABLE STRESS, STRAIN AND SENSE OF ISOLATION THAT COMES WITH BECOMING AN ADOPTIVE PARENT AND IN PARENTING TRAUMATIZED CHILDREN. THESE OBJECTS SHALL BE ACHIEVED IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY BY : (A) ADVOCATING AND ADVANCING PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT FOR ADOPTIVE PARENTS, BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER PLACEMENT AND ADOPTION; (B) ADVOCATING, ESTABLISHING, SUPPORTING, RUNNING AND PROMOTING PARENT-LED COMMUNITIES OF ADOPTIVE PARENTS, CONSISTING OF LOCALLY AND CENTRALLY MANAGED NETWORKS WHICH ALLOW FOR PARTICIPATION BY WAY OF BOTH IN-PERSON AND ONLINE MEETINGS AND FORUMS; (C) OFFERING LOCAL AND REGULAR MEETING PLACES AND ACTIVITIES FOR ADOPTIVE PARENTS WHICH REFLECT THEIR PARTICULAR NEEDS, WITH OR WITHOUT THEIR CHILDREN, IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY BY RUNNING SUCH ACTIVITIES AS UNDER-5S PLAYGROUPS AND FAMILY EVENTS (WITH CHILDREN) AND PARENT SUPPORT GROUPS (WITHOUT CHILDREN); (D) PROMOTING AND ADVANCING THE NEED FOR PARENTAL SELF-CARE WHILE RAISING CHILDREN WHO HAVE SUFFERED EARLY TRAUMA (SELF-CARE MEANING LOOKING AFTER ADOPTIVE PARENTS’ OWN EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL NEEDS TO ALLOW THEM TO BETTER CARE FOR AND SUPPORT THEIR ADOPTED CHILDREN, INCLUDING BY HELPING THEM REMAIN EMOTIONALLY REGULATED AND STABLE IN THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH THEIR CHILDREN); (E) PROVIDING PLATFORMS FOR ADOPTIVE PARENTS TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES, FOR EXAMPLE THROUGH PARENT SUPPORT FORA AND ONLINE BLOGS; (F) DISSEMINATING INFORMATION ABOUT PRACTICAL ADOPTION SUPPORT AND RELATED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES (SUCH AS WAYS OF RELIEVING STRESS AND REDUCING ISOLATION); AND (G) SUPPORTING, INFLUENCING, ADVOCATING FOR, AND CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELEVANT ADOPTION SUPPORT SERVICES AND ADVANCING PARENTAL SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE ADOPTION PROCESS AND BEYOND.